While difficulty obtaining easements temporarily stalled a $6.2 million watershed project to improve drainage in major flooding areas across the city, City Engineer Kevin Stafford said those easements will soon be in hand.
Stafford, who is also the senior vice president of Neel-Schaffer, spoke about recently completed projects and future plans for city improvement at Tuesday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Columbus at Lion Hills Center. Stafford also touched on his role in the city’s watershed project.
“Ultimately, all we’re trying to do is come on to somebody’s property and clean their ditch out for them and improve their situation,” Stafford told The Dispatch after the meeting. “This actually is one of those situations that we are the government, and we’re here to help.”
The project, covered by American Rescue Plan Act Funds, would improve major flooding areas in eight sites across the city – four each on Northside and Southside. The city has 20 months left to complete the work or forfeit the funding.
But work stalled on the watershed project, as necessary easements for the drainage work remained unsecured, and contractor Waggoner Engineering argued in January it was the city’s responsibility to secure those easements. An easement gives the right to cross or use someone else’s land for a specific purpose.
Earlier this month, the city council voted to approve contracting Neel-Schaffer to obtain the remaining necessary easements, helping the project to once again move forward.
Out of the 84 total easements needed to complete the project, 17 have now been secured, Stafford told The Dispatch after the club meeting. Of those, 16 were secured by Waggoner, and the remaining easement was secured under Neel-Schaffer’s lead.
However, Stafford anticipates obtaining the remaining easements to progress more quickly. Stafford told The Dispatch after the Rotary meeting that they have an additional 47 property owners they plan to reach out to as soon as this week.
Stafford said one problem they have run into in obtaining easements is that many property owners have a misunderstanding of what an easement’s purpose is – which in this case is to give the city the right to cross or use the land for the drainage work.
“So, I say here’s the deal, if you can give us the easement to come do the work on your property, the next time it gets stopped up like this, you can say, ‘Hey, remember that easement I gave you? Y’all need to come out here and clean it again,’” Stafford explained.
Stafford said that upon explaining to property owners that the easement aims to benefit them and that the city has no interest in taking ownership of the property, they are more amicable to signing the easement.
Stafford estimates it will take no longer than 30 days to secure the more “straight-forward” easements, while the more difficult cases may take anywhere from 60 to 90 days.
Mayor Keith Gaskin said he was extremely pleased with the progress he has seen in securing the easements under Stafford’s leadership.
“It seems to me that it’s moving a lot faster than it was before,” Gaskin said. “We’re looking forward to getting it completed in the very near future.”
While the council previously expressed concerns in meeting its 20 month deadline to complete the drainage work, Gaskin is now confident that with Stafford’s assistance, they will meet the deadline.
“I think we’re making the right steps in the right direction to get the work done,” Gaskin said.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
